Exhaustion and relief as flood threat subsides in Deniliquin

Flooding along the Edward River at Deniliquin, NSW. The evacuation order for the town has been cancelled after the river peaked at 9.19 metres. Photograph: Fleur Connick/The Guardian

Exhausted residents of the Riverina town of Deniliquin breathed a sigh of relief overnight after an evacuation order for the town was cancelled, but residents of the nearby village of Moulamein were told it was too late to leave.

The State Emergency Service on Sunday told residents living on the northern banks of the Edward River at Deniliquin to evacuate by 10am Wednesday, ahead of a forecast major flood level of 9.4 metres, rising as high as 9.6 metres later in the week.